Tortillas

[ppanther]

I've recently started making my own tortillas. They are really freaking delicious, and really easy. No, not easier than buying a bag of tortillas at the store, but unless you live next to a market that makes their own (or a Trader Joe's, where they sell pretty darn respectable tortillas), these are WAY better. Credit KAF Baking Companion for the recipe.

2 cups bread flour
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2-3/4 c water
1/2 tsp salt

Stir flour and oil together until combined. (It will look like sand, you really are just distributing the oil as well as you can into the flour.) Stir in water and salt and then knead briefly until dough is smooth. Divide into 8 portions, roll each into a ball and flatten slightly. Let rest, covered, at least 30 minutes.

Roll out dough until it's around 8" in diameter and cook in a skillet over medium heat, using no fat in the pan, 45 seconds for each side. While one is cooking, I roll the next.

That's all there is to it. SO GOOD. My son, at age 17 months, is very fond of homemade tortillas and even says "'Tillas!" whenever he sees them. He's a genius.

EDIT to add: Corn tortillas are next on my list. I have the masa harina all set to go, and am the proud owner of a new heavy duty press. I'll be trying it out tomorrow.

[Mikey]

I made some corn tortillas once. Didn't roll them, just pounded and slapped them around by hand.

They came out really good but it seemed like a lot of work.

These days, with a 9 hour work day, almost two hours total on the road and hopefully 45 minutes in the pool, I'm pretty much sticking to quick and easy most of the time. Saturdays and sometimes Sundays are the only days I have to do anything that takes any time.

[ppanther]

I don't even want to BOTHER making corn tortillas by hand. That's why I bought a press. :)

I'm not saying I'll ALWAYS make my own tortillas... but I sure will pretty often!

[smackaholic]

Stuff made from scratch at home has bode over mass produced store garbage.

Sin,
MA, food critic

While we are on the homemade messican stuff topic, has anyone ever tried canning their own salsa? Once you have homemade salsa, the stuff you buy at the store will make you throw up.

[indyfrisco]

I'm pretty much sticking to quick and easy most of the time.

I go easy when there is benefit. I have made tortilas from scratch. Good, but the "easy" way to me was no different but WAY better than the tortillas you buy in the store.

They make tortilla flour where you just add water. If you have a Kitchen Aid or comprabable mixer, just throw in the flour and water, let it work and it's done.

As pp said, get a press. I did. SO WORTH IT. And get a big press if you can find one. THat is how I make my tortizzas I have posted pics of here before. And yeah, kids love tortillas. My kids actually have become huge breakfast burrito fans because they help me make the tortillas since it is so easy.

[ppanther]

The tortilla flour is masa harina. They sell it in every grocery store around here. It's a corn flour treated with lime, and like Indy said, you just add water. I've not done this (I've only made flour tortillas, not corn) but I will tomorrow, since I got a press. I don't know if flour tortillas would be as good in a press, but they are really easy to roll out so it's no biggie. I've just heard/read that it's not easy to roll corn.

Smackaholic: I almost ALWAYS make salsa from scratch. I use a lot of Rick Bayless recipes, not that recipes are all that necessary for salsa-making. There are just two in particular that I LOVE LOVE LOVE, so I make them often. Here they are:

Roasted Tomato Salsa:
2 jalapenos or 4 serranos or 2 habaneros or whatever chile you like, pretty much (I don't use this much because for some reason this pregnancy is giving me white-girl mouth)
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 c finely-diced white onion
1 15-oz can fire roasted tomatoes
1/2 c chopped cilantro
1 tsp of fresh lime juice or apple cider vinegar
salt

Heat a pan without oil and add chiles and garlic and cook, turning regularly, until they have brown spots and are all roasty and yummy, maybe 10 minutes. I know it will look like the garlic is burning but trust Mr. Bayless, he knows what he's talking about. When they're done, remove the stems from the peppers and peel the garlic and put it all in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the tomatoes with their juice and pulse a few more times, until the mixture is the texture you like.

Rinse the onion in cold water and drain well and put in bowl, then add the stuff from the processor. Stir well and add water if you think it needs it for purposes of consistency. Stir in cilantro. Taste and season with both lime juice and salt. The end.

And now my FAVORITE:

Smoky Chipotle Salsa with Pan-Roasted Tomatillos:

3 garlic cloves, peeled
8 oz. tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and cut in half
2 canned chipotle chiles en adobo (see note above, I've been using only one recently)
salt

Again in a skillet with no oil, cook garlic and tomatillos (cut side down) 3-4 minutes per side, until nicely browned and well softened. When it's all ready to go, put it all into a processor along with the chiles and 1/4 c water. process to a coarse puree. Let cool, then add salt to taste. (I already know I like a good almost 1/2 tsp salt in this so I add it while it's processing.)

The first salsa is great with chips or for any application, really. The second is FANTASTIC on any kind of steak tacos (skirt steak, carne asada, whatever).

[Mikey]

I regularly pick up salsa at my favorite local Mexican joint (Rosa's). I get takeout there every Tuesday after my son's Boy Scout meetings. Have been for about 5 years now. They make all of their own salsa. My favorite is the salsa verde. They told me how to make it once, but I haven't done it because I could never beat theirs. Basically sauteed tomatillos and jalapenos pureed with cilantro. I could almost live on that stuff. They also have a smooth red salsa that's pretty hot and a mild chunky red salsa.

Tonight I had a carnitas taco and an adobada taco with rice and beans. Traditional soft shell style with two corn tortillas on each one. Awesome stuff, especially with about 1/2 cup of green salsa on each one.

[indyfrisco]

Mikey,

I got a killer salsa verde recipe at home. My dad's recipe. If'nwhen I remember it, I'll post it here. Prolly a standard recipe as I've never tried anything else, but it is damn good.

[ppanther]

Mikey,

You should really try the Tomatillo/Chipotle recipe. It's pretty similar in flavor to a good salsa verde, except the chipotle obviously makes the end result not-so-verde. :) But the smokiness is DELICIOUS. Try it try it!!

[indyfrisco]

I gotta say the chipotle sounds like a good addition. Yeah, it would render the verde outa the name but I bet it tastes damn good. I'll give it a try this weekend.

[Mikey]

Mikey,

You should really try the Tomatillo/Chipotle recipe. It's pretty similar in flavor to a good salsa verde, except the chipotle obviously makes the end result not-so-verde. :) But the smokiness is DELICIOUS. Try it try it!!

I will definitely try it. Doesn't seem like too much work and a better variation on an already good thing should be worth the effort.